How far that little candle throws his beam! So shines a good deed in a weary world.
Shakespeare
It seems the insanity here in the US knows no bounds. Just when we seem to hit bottom, out come the shovels and we start digging. Fortunately, I had some welcome distractions like the opportunity to have a chat with Guy Wallace this week to talk about all things Human Performance Technology (or whatever your term is for getting things done efficiently and effectively). I hope all is well in your corner of the world.
Thanks for reading!
What I’m Listening to: For today, I’m hoping to be heads down cranking out some work so it’s back to an old favorite, Mushroom Jazz Essentials for my background music.
Last week’s most clicked item:
The Learning Tech Landscape
3 Questions Answered by an L&D Giant: Dana Robinson
This brilliant series continues with Dana Robinson whose book, Performance Consulting is a ‘must read for anyone in the L&D field. If you’ve missed any of the others in this series (they’re all awesome!) you can browse them all in this playlist.
How to use RSS to boost your Productivity
This article is a nice look at what RSS and a variety of of the ways you can use it to make yourself more efficient and productive. The primary use for RSS is for keeping up with the topics you’re most interested in and you may be surprised at some of the other ways you can use it beyond that.
https://zapier.com/blog/how-to-use-rss-feeds/
The Value of Learning “Useless” Things
Scott Young examines the question “Is there a Contradiction Between Learning Directly and Building Foundations?” and talks about the value of “useless” knowledge and how having a large knowledge base across a broad number of areas is incredibly valuable.
https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2020/12/21/knowledge-foundation/
How can you find time to design?
Jose Torre takes a look at a challenge many of us face – finding uninterrupted blocks of time to focus on actually doing work. He shares 7 good, easy to implement tips for managing your time to get these much needed blocks of time.
https://uxdesign.cc/how-can-you-find-time-to-design-cc9a4e3a2b5d
Email: The Overlooked Digital (and Virtual) Learning Platform
You may be thinking “Email? You must be kidding” But Sarah Mercier, shows how valuable email can be a as digital learning too. More people have email than any single social media platform plus it offerings a number of attractive benefits like supporting spaced learning. Click over to learn more and consider adding email to your digital learning repertoire.
https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/email-the-overlooked-digital-and-virtual-learning-platform
A few other things just because I can.
Podcasts
Here are three podcast episodes from this week that are worth a listen:
- Myles Runham on Adapting Digital Learning for 2021 on the Good Practice podcast.
- Melissa Marshall discusses making technical presentations accessible on the Train Like You Listen podcast
- 25 women’s voices on Imposter Syndrome on the Women Talking About Learning podcast.
Tools, Tips & Resources
I just passed 100 issues of my daily L&D Tech Toolbox newsletter. You can find those and subscribe here.
- Organize your tabs with tab groups in Google Chrome
- Manage your audio and video playback from sites like Spotify YouTube, etc right in Chrome
- Designate certain tabs to open automatically when you open Chrome
- Use the Chrome omnibox to search a specific website.
- Chrome Keyboard shortcuts – I love keyboard shortcuts – these can help you work faster and more efficiently in Chrome.
Where You Can Find Me
- CUNA IdeasFest – Learning Technology Trends & How to Start Using Them – January 26
- Nashville ATD – Using Technology for Training – September 16
Interested in the things that didn’t make the cut here? Follow me on Twitter or connect with me on LinkedIn
If you’re looking for a helping hand or someone to speak at your event, let’s talk!
Speaking and Workshop Information Sheet.
Mike Taylor 